


Burnout

by Hime_no_Kowai_Shumi



Category: NCIS
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Multi, Sleep Deprivation, Two-Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-06-24 20:08:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19730890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hime_no_Kowai_Shumi/pseuds/Hime_no_Kowai_Shumi
Summary: Sleep deprivation can have disastrous effects. Established OT3





	1. Naps

**Author's Note:**

> Jen-centric. I took the beginning dialogue from 3x08 “Under Covers” but the rest is pure fanfiction and not related to the episode at all.

She's been up for over 18 hours already when Jethro enters MTAC and starts talking. The banter is refreshing, a welcomed relief to the otherwise mundane night. It makes her miss being a field agent, if only for a moment.

“Why don’t you go grab forty on the couch in your office?” he suggests.

She doesn’t look away from the MTAC screen, “No. I just need a little coffee.”

“Yeah?” he questions. “When the caffeine jolt ends?”

“I’ll do what you do,” she turns to look at him, a smile on her lips, “Get a refill.”

“You’re not me.”

“Chauvinist,” she remarks, jokingly, her smile morphing into a lazy grin.

He grins right back, a low chuckle forming in the back of his throat, “Yeah, yeah. I guess,” he stands, heads to the door, pausing just slightly in hesitation, a fraction of a second, “Good night, Jen.”

Disappointment rears its head before she tramples it down. It was neither the time nor the place for her to be petty. MTAC was far too open for PDA, and they both knew it. 

Once he leaves, she strongly considers a nap on her couch when it’s all over, but she banished the thought, picking up her second cup in the last hour and taking a long sip. 

* * *

It’s early when she steps out of MTAC, just after 0700. Her caffeine jolt is wearing off, and she’s in a foul mood, the need for sleep overwhelming her desire for anything else. It had been a long night overall; Jethro and his team were burning the midnight oil like she was, the case of a missing Naval lieutenant and her young son weighing heavily on them all. She should’ve grabbed those 40 minutes when she had the chance, she thought bitterly. 

When she entered her office, she resists the urge to pour herself a tumbler of bourbon and turns on the lamp instead. The light from the lamp falls over her desk, the dark mahogany shining; she catches movement to her right, and that’s when she realizes that her couch is being occupied. 

“Abby?”

Her girlfriend is dressed in a pair of black jeans and an obscure band shirt, curled up on her couch, not asleep but not far from it; her collar of choice today, a red, spiked one, is already discarded on her table, and her platform boots are underneath it. She blames her exhausted brain for the lack of awareness because she should’ve noticed Abby the moment she opened the door.

Abby offers a lazy smile when she sees her, her voice holding an air of exhaustion as if she’d been up all night; knowing her working habits, as well as the caseload, she probably had been, “I was hoping to get a nap in here. Timmy’s using my futon. And Tony’s using Bert as a pillow.”

“Oh?” she sets her paperwork aside with a frown, leans against her desk, at this point the verbal sparring just for show, “And what about your spare blanket and pillow?”

“Kate and Ziva are sharing it.” A frown slips onto Abby’s lips, “Please, Jenny? Just a couple hours.”

She motions to her couch with a raised eyebrow, an amused smile forming against her wishes, “You’re already halfway there.”

Abby's eyes light up with renewed excitement, and she can't help the way her eyes soften. Leave it to Abby to fix her bad mood. She grabs a rarely used throw blanket from the back of the couch, and Abby’s hand closes gently around her wrist. She glances down at her, eyebrows knitted in confusion.

“Lay down with me?”

“I have work to do, Abby,” realization dawns on her suddenly, and she has to admit, it’s a good plan, “That’s your ulterior motive?”

“To get you to sleep.” Abby replies as if it's the most obvious thing in the world, her dark eyes holding just a hint of mischief, “Gibbs said you’d been up all night.”

Two pots calling the kettle black, that was new. Neither of her lovers hardly slept long, Abby the least of the two. But she knew she wouldn’t be able to talk her way out of this one.

Begrudgingly, she nudges the younger woman so she can slip up behind her, “I’ll give you five minutes, ten at the most.”

Abby hums happily, turning in her arms and resting her head in the crook of her neck. Her arms go around the Goth’s waist immediately, holding her close. She doesn’t plan on falling asleep, listening to Abby’s breath as it evens out. She feels her eyes grow heavy and fights it. She didn’t have time for sleep.

When Gibbs entered her office half an hour later, the sight of his girls asleep made him wish his phone had a camera. _Luckily Cynthia’s did_.


	2. Exhaustion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Beginning dialogue from 5x05 “Leap of Faith” but the rest is fanfiction and doesn’t follow the episode. Starts off Abby's POV, but mostly Jen's POV. Abby-centric.

The bickering behind her was making her go crazy, Tony, Tim and Agent Jardine all trying to talk over each other. She put two fingers in her mouth, whistling loudly to get their attention.

“Back off all of you, ok? I am one person!”

“Woah, woah, easy Abbs.” Normally, Gibbs could calm her but not right now, not when her adrenaline is running this high.

“No!” She snaps, frustration creeping into her voice, “It’s late, I am tired, I am overworked, and I am taken for granted!”

He gave her a look, a look that held a lot of emotions - annoyance, confusion, acceptance - before turning to walk out of the lab in defeat. He stopped mid-stride, facing her again, his tone cutting through her mood like a knife, “Maybe you should accept that job offer.”

She turned to him, hurt shining in her eyes; she Gibbs-slaps Tony on the back at the head at his shocked expression, just as a way to release some pent-up annoyance. Gibbs doesn’t even bat an eye, waiting.

“I can’t believe you’d say that to me, Gibbs,” she hates that patient smile on his face, the way he just lets her talk, “How could you think that I could be leaving? ‘Cause I got a little mad? So what? We’re family, that’s allowed. I get three or four job offers every year; I’ve never considered any of ‘em.”

* * *

Jen observes Abby’s huddled form on the bed. It’s always worrisome when your normal bubbly girlfriend leaves work earlier than normal, and you find her piled under a mountain of blankets.

“Abby?” She doesn’t like the way the younger woman jumps, clearly startled.

From underneath the blankets, the Goth mutters, “Can’t sleep.”

“Scoot,” she requests.

Abby grumbles softly, and the blankets shift slightly. She smiles, biting her lip to stop from laughing; she was supposed to be serious, but the image was so damn cute. She slides underneath the sheets, and Abby immediately turns to rest in her arms, snuggling up to her. She presses a kiss to the Goth’s hair.

“Bad day?” She had a loose idea of what had happened, but she still wanted to hear what happened from the woman herself.

“The worst.”

“Mmm,” she acknowledges, knowing Abby would tell her eventually. She didn’t disappoint.

“There was so much evidence,” Abby begins softly, “And they were just so demanding and so loud, and I just wanted them to stop.”

“It’s okay,” she hushes her gently.

“No, it’s not,” Abby mumbles, her voice catching.

She feels the bed dip as Jethro settles on the other side, slipping under the covers and pressing up against Abby. Any other time, the absurdity of the situation would make her laugh, but Abby always hid herself away when she was feeling low; pulling the covers over her head was just another manifestation of that urge.

Jethro’s voice holds no judgment as she hears him question, “What’s going on with you today?”

“Just a bad day,” Abby replies, but she doesn’t move from her arms, the words coming out muffled. Something inside told her that wasn’t the whole truth.

“That all?” She prods.

“Yes,” Abby says, but it comes out unconvincing. 

“Abbs,” Jethro shoots back, his voice holding a frustrated edge to it, concern bleeding in as well.

They weren’t supposed to keep secrets from each other; they usually didn’t, Abby the least of all.

Abby sighs softly, relaxes into the bed, “I just haven’t been sleeping well lately, and work has just been one frustration after another. It’s just getting to me is all.”

“Then let’s start with getting to bed,” Jethro’s voice is soft, understanding.

“But…” Abby starts, but neither of them wants to listen to excuses, readjusting on the bed just slightly, pulling the covers down off their heads. Abby grumbles slightly.

“Shh,” She breathes out, “you need to sleep, just close your eyes. We’re not going anywhere.”

Abby tried to fight it, but eventually, she lays still, touching them both in some way as her breathing evens out, and she succumbs to the call of sleep. There was a lot more to unpack, but right now, that wasn’t the issue. All that mattered was making sure their girl got the rest she deserved. And if she and Jethro fell asleep too, well, that didn’t matter that much.

**Author's Note:**

> Please read and review!


End file.
